Mail chute



' C. DOBBIN April 7, 1931.

MAIL CHUTE Filed June 6, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTRNEY April 7, 1931. c. DOBBIN MAIL C-HUTE Filed June 6. 1929 1 1mm .w r n 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIHHI yr p? ,161

INVENTOR BY 2 I! E W Z ORNEY so panels.

Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES DOBBIN,

CHUT'E CORPORATION, 011' or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES MAIL NEW YonK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK MAIL CHUTE Application filed June 6,

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been customary in the construction of mail chutes to employ a plurality of upright or vertical channel members extending through the floors of a building for conveying let ers which may be placed in the chute on any floor to a box or receptacle on the main floor, or in the basement, and from which the letters, or other mail matter, may be collected. In the prevalent form of mail chute each floor section is made to include vertically disposed channels and a plurality of panels completing the channel and one or more or all of which panels may be removed for obtaining access to the interior of the channel when this may be necessary for cleaning the same, or for other purposes. Furthermore in this type of mail chute it has been customary to employ a lock band to cover and maintain in position the adjacent ends of the removable panels irrespective of the number of panels employed, and also in a suitable position in one of the lower panels to provide a plate or other device having a letter slot therein for the insertion of mail in the chute. In this and other similar typesof mail chutes difficulty has been experienced in removing the panels inasmuch as ordinarily the superimposed panel or panels on any floor are supported by the lower Consequently in removing any panel provision must be made for preventing an upper panel from falling.

this type of mail chute other diliiculties have been experienced inasmuch as little or no provision has been made for the admission of letters, or other mail matter, in such a manner as to place the letters in the chute without possible interference with other letters which may be descending through the chute from upper floors.

Now the objects of my invention are to overcome these difliculties and in carrying out the same I employ a lock'band surrounding the channel members at the junction of adjacent panels and in which lock hand there is provided a letter slot for the insertion of mail matter, the forward edges of the channel portion and the face of the panel immediately beneath the lock band being inclined outwardly so that letters,

Furthermore, in

or other mail matter,

1929. Serial No. 363,774.

may be passed through the letter slot without interfering with the passage of other letters, or other mail matter, descending through that portion of the chute. Furthermore, associated with the lock band in carrying out my invention I provide a support bar for the next upper channel member, the same being arranged in the lock band in such a manner as to be closed thereby and made inaccessible and, moreover, I when the parts are assembled and the lock band secured and locked in place.

he foregoing and other features of the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described.

entirely hidden from view Inthe drawings Figure 1 is a front. elevation showing a floor section of a mail chute made in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33, Fig. 1,

Fig. & is an enlarged section taken on line H, Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a partial elevation showing the parts of the lock band open and the support bar in position,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the parts as shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a partial section on an enlarged scale illustrating clearly the construction of the panel frame, and

Fig. 8 is a section similar to Fig. 7 showing another form of the panel moulding.

As is customary in mail chute constructions, in carrying out my invention I employ a plurality of vertically placed channel memhere which extend through the floors of a building. As illustrated 'I have shown two of these channel members, indicated at 10 and 11 in a relationship in which their adjacent ends are overlapping. These channel members are preferably made of suitable sheet metal, or other similarmaterial, and each includes a back or rear wall 12 and end walls 13 and 14. Associated with these channel members there are panels indicated at 15 and 16. It is customary to employ these panels, which are removably connected to the channels, in such a manner that the panels form the outer or front faces of the chute.

It will be understood, however, that they may be otherwise constructed without departing from the nature of the invention. The upper panel 15, therefore, includes a face 17 which is preferably made of glass, or other transparent material, and a frame 18 surrounding the same. In like manner the lower panel includes a glass, or other transparent face 19 and a suitable frame 20.

The panel frames are also preferably made of sheet metal and so formed as to constitute a side member 21 having an inturned end 22, a base 23 which is formed by bending the metal on itself to include walls 24 and 25, and also a face 26 having an inturned end 27, these parts being suitably spaced from the base 23 in order to provide a socket 28 for the edge portion 29 of the glass or other face 17.

The upright or side portions of the frame members of the panels are all preferably constructed in this manner and for this reason but one of them is shown in detail and specifically described.

The lower end of the lower panel is provided with an extension 30 formed with a shoulder 31 and a face member 32 with an inturned end 83 adapted to receive the lower edge of the transparent face plate of the lower panel and to fit into and to be supported by a seat 34 formed by a rib 85 on the upper portion of a collar 36 which as is customary rests upon the floor and may be secured thereto and also to the adjacent portion of a wall in any suitable manner.

Similarly the lower member of the frame of the upper panel is formed with an extension 37 having a shoulder 38 and the face plate 39 with an inturned end 40, the shoulder 38 being adapted to rest upon a support bar ll. The upper end of this upper panel is adapted to it into a pocket provided therefor in a collar 42 which is placed adjacent the ceiling and may be secured to the wall, or the ceiling or both, in any suitable or customary manner.

Associated with the parts as hereinbefore described I employ a band surrounding the members of the chute at the aoiacent edges of the panels. This band or strap 43 preferably includes a back or rear member ll, end members 45 and 4G and a front member l7. The support bar ll at one end thereof is hinged to the outer portion of the end member 45 as indicated at 48 while at the opposite end of the cross bar 41 there is a tongue l9 adapted to fit within a notch 50 provided therefor in the outer edge of the end member 46, whereby, as will be understood, when the cross bar ll is in position the lower edge of the upper panel rests upon and is supported thereby and when the cross bar is swung to an open position the upper panel may be readily removed. The front member 47 of the lock band is also pivotally connected 1 to the outer edge portion of the end member 45 as indicated at 51. This front member is adapted to extend between the end members 4-5 and 46 and is fitted with a lock plate 52 which is pivotally connected thereto, as indicated at 53, and is provided with a lock 51-. With the parts in their closed positions, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, the lock plate is adapted to lie against the outer surface of the end member d6 in which there is provided a suitable recess, or other means, for receiving the latch of the lock 54 in order to secure and maintain the parts in place when locked to one another.

The front member 47 of the lock band is so constructed as to include an upper wall 55 and a lower wall 56 offset therefrom with an intermediate wall 51' at substantially right angles thereto and in which there is a slot 58 for the admission of letters, or post cards, or other mail matter. The outer edges 59 of the end members of the panel forming parts of the lower end of the chute are inclined outwardly whereby, as will be understood, depending upon the extent to which the wall is offset from the wall 55, there will be provided beneath the wall 5'? a pocket 60 for the reception of the letters in such a manner that they will enter the chute without interfering with other letters which may be descending at the same time from upper floors.

The sheet metal frame or other moulding, made to enclose the edge portions of the glass members of the removable panels which function as a closure for the open side of the chute, may be made in various forms other than that shown in Fig. 7. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the edge portions of the side members of the chute may be inset as indicated at 61 providing a shoulder 62 between the inset and the body of the side of the chute. The side member of the panel frame may be bent on itself to form a double wall, indicated at 62 and 63, which is adapted to fit over the inset edge portion 61 so that the edge of the double wall abuts against the shoulder 62. The inner wall 63 in this construction is offset at 64 to form a base for the edge portion 29 of the transparent plate 17 while the continuation of the outer wall 62 is also turned inwardly and may terminate in a beveled or otherwise formed edge 65 to bear against the outer surface of the edge portion 29 of the glass plate 1? and with the other parts of the frame 01;. moulding to form a pocket for the reception of the edge portion 29 of the glass or other transparent plate. 7

It will now be understood that when the front plate of the lock band is swung opem. as shown in Fig. 5, the lower panel may be readily removed and the removal thereof effected independently of the upper panel, and also if necessary the cross or support bar 1-1 may be swung outwardly and the upper panel removed independently of the" lower panel. It is also to be noted that the side members 21 of the panel frames are so constructed as to engage the outer surfaces of the corresponding end walls of the chutes, this being preferable to forming an intertitting joint, or constructing these side members to fit within the end walls of the chute.

As herein shown and described I have set forth the preferred embodiment of my invention but the means for accomplishing the intended purposes are merely illustrative as obviously other and equivalent devices may be employed for supporting the removable panels and making them removable independently of each other, as well as for providing for the introduction of mail matter, letters, or otherwise, without interfering with other mail matter which may be simultaneously descending through the chute. It will be obvious that the parts of the chute may be secured in position in any desired manner, and furthermore that any form of lock may be employed to secure the parts of the lock band in their locked positions.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mail chute, a channel member, a plurality of panels detachably removable from the said channel member, a pivoted bar extending across the channel member for supporting an upper panel, and means for maintaining the said bar and the adjacent ends of removable panels in place relatively to the said channel.

2. In a mail chute, ing an open side, a plurality of removable panels for closing the open side of the channel member, a pivoted bar adapted to fit between adjacent ends of removable panels to support an upper panel independently of a lower panel, and means for normally concealing the said bar and maintaining the adiacent ends of the removable panels in position relatively to the said channel member.

3. In a mail chute, a channel member, a plurality of removable panels, a band adapted to extend around the said channel mem her and the adjacent ends of the removable panel members, and a cross bar pivotally mounted in the said band, adapted to fit be tween adjacent ends of the removable panel members and to support an upper panel member independently of a lower panel member.

I. In a mail chute, a channel member, a plurality of removable panels, a band comprising a back, sides and a front member, a pivoted cross bar connected at 1ts ends 1n the said side members of the band and adapted to support an upper panel independently of a lower panel member, and means for securing the front member of the band in position to maintain the cent ends of panel members in position relatively to the said channel member.

5. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of removable lower panel member of the band being pivotally cona channel member havsaid cross bar and the adj a panel members adapted to close the open side of the channel member, a band comprising a back, sides and a front member, across bar pivotally connected at one end in one of the side members of the band and at its other end adapted to engage in a slot in the other end member of the band to support an upper removable panel member independently of a lower panelmember, and means for securing the front member of the band in position to maintain the said cross bar and the adjacent ends of panel members in place relatively to the said channel member.

6. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of removable panel members adapted to close the open side of the channel member, a band comprising a back, sides and a front member, a cross bar pivotally connected at one end in one of the side members of adapted to engage in a slot in the other end member of the band to support an upper removable panel member independently of a member, one end of the front nected to one side member thereof, and means for locking the other end of the front member of the band to the other side member thereof to maintain the cross bar in place and to secure the adjacent ends of panel members in position relatively to the said channel member. j

7. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of removable panel members adapted to close the open side of the channel'member, a band comprising aback, sides and a front member, a cross bar pivotally connected at one end in one of the side members of the band and at its other end adapted to engage in a slot in the other end member of the band to support an upper removable panel member independently of a lower panel member, one end of the front member of the band being pivotally connected to one slde member thereof,a lock .1

plate pivotally connected to the opposite end of the said front member, and a lock associatedwith the lock plate and adapted when the parts are in closed position to engage the other side member of the said band.

8. In a mail chute, a channel member havingan open side, a plurality of removable panel members adapted to close the open side of the channel member, a band comprising a back, sides and a front member, a cross bar pivotally connected at one end in one of the side members of the band and at its other end adapted to engage in a slot in the other end member of the band to support an upper removable panel member independently of a lower panel member, one end of the front member of the band being pivotally connected to one side member thereof, a lock plate pivotally connected to the opposite end of the said front member, and a lock assothe band and at its other end :.v

ciated with the lock plate and adapted when the parts are in position to engage the other side member of the said band, the front member of the band being constructed to include c an upper wall and an offset lower Wall with an intermediate wall having a letter slot therein.

9. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of detachably removable panels for closing the open side of said channel member, means pivotally mounted and disposed across the open side of said channel member adapted to fit between adjacent ends of the removable panels to support an upper panel independently of a lower panel, and means for normally con- (sealing the first named means and maintain ing adjacent ends of the removable panels in position relatively to the said channel mem- 20 her.

10. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of detachably removable panels tor closing the open side of said channel member, pivotally mounted 25 means disposed across the open side of said channel member, and adapted to fit between adjacent ends of the removable panels and to support an upper panel independently of a lower panel, and means for normally concealing the first named means and maintaining adjacent ends of the removable panels in position relatively to the said channel member.

11. In a mail chute, a channel member having an open side, a plurality of detachably removable panels for closing the open side of said channel member, a pivoted bar disposed in said channel member and adapted to fit between adjacent endsv of the removable panels, and to support an upper panel i11- dependently of a lower panel, and means for maintaining the adj aeent ends of the removable panels in place relatively to said channel..

Signed by me this 8th day of May, 1929.

CHARLES DOBBIN. 

